50 word Moneyfesto - Small changes for a big difference 2013

onmymind

Stop paying public sector workers who are not at work, originally intended for sickness cover is now used for days out and family occasions more and more, also when providing cover for "sick" teachers for example use young trainee teachers to cover, stop using retired teachers with no ambition and adequate pension

cash1948

Ensure that the state pension (for those that have paid tax and NI all their lives) is never less than the total benefits provided to illegal immigrents, unemployed, career mums etc. If a pensioner has to survive on £107 the rest should be able to

toffeeblock

It would help the consumer if renewal letters were obliged by law to include the previous years costs and % increase/decrease against the renewal offer. This could apply typically to insurance type products.

An agreed format could also be imposed and this idea could also be extended to utilities / council tax or, any other product paid by direct-debit say, etc. to standardise this approach more widely.

ghc2611

Why are Traffic Lights set on sequence during off peak hours or in use at all at these times? Whenever a vehicle has to stop for Traffic Lights just set on sequence unnecessarily, energy is wasted in bringing the vehicle to a stop & again when the light sequence changes to green. These lights need to be motion activated & set to green for the major road.
There are many sets of traffic lights which are necessary during commuter times, but which serve little purpose outside these times. Could these not be converted to part time signals & the junctions treated as "give way" junctions when not in use as is done on busy roundabout junctions.
If these changes were implemented there would be an individual saving on fuel & a massive combined saving. There would also be a smaller saving on electricity costs for the reduced number of Traffic Lights in operation.

netty1958

Abolish Child Benefit. The rich don't need it and the poor spend it on cigarettes and alchohol. Instead, plough the money into education and child care needs for ALL children regardless of background. Perhaps put a child tax on the wealthy to put money back into the pot. This will reduce fraud and save the government a fortune.

Lesley_from_Stockport

Every person who drives on the UK roads should be, but isn't, insured. Car insurance is too expensive and this is often attributed to the costs of covering accidents caused by uninsured drivers - so those that do insure pay twice! Police can only check that a car has insurance but, unless they stop the driver, there is no way of ensuring that the person driving has any insurance.
Idea - Remove car insurance as a separate entity. Put up the price of petrol where part of that price includes insurance. That way, every driver is paying for insurance by virtue of the fact that they are using that petrol - the more you drive, the more you pay; the faster you drive or the harder you brake, the more petrol you use so you pay more. Have a central body that uses the funds from the insurance part of the petrol revenue to pay out claims (this could be the existing insurance companies)

geoff2

Buy X Get 1 Free on perishable goods discriminates against those who do not need or cannot consume large quantities. This particularly affects the elderly and single parents, who are effectively subsidising two-earner families. We already waste food. BOGOF has become a cynical selling tool and must be legislated out.

Robson65

At the moment all ladies sanitary products have VAT on them as they are not considered essential. Whats the alternative ?? Mens shaving products do not have VAT on them.

kobastalin

On commuter trains in conurbations, first class carriages are wasteful and cause dangerous overcrowding in standard class. Chiltern railways have abolished first class - why don't the others look in to doing it?
First class is often half empty. Abolishing would probably make more profit and enable savings on our fares.

LAURALUKE

Travel Companies should not be allowed to double the price of holidays when the children are off in the school holidays. The government are clamping down on children taking holidays out of school term time so now people with children have no option other than to take children in the school holidays this is just pure day light robbery for people with children